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Your Weekly Escape

Extraordinary people, discoveries, and places

ILLUSTRATION BY NOIRLAB, NSF, AURA, J. DA SILVA (SPACEENGINE)

One of the largest comets ever seen is headed our way

It's icy, unimaginably old, and very, very big. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein—which you should be able to see from your backyard in about 10 years—is a rare opportunity for a generation of astronomers to study an object from the extreme edges of the solar system.

WHEN TO LOOK UP

COLLISION COURSE: This asteroid is one of the most likely to hit Earth. +

PHOTOGRAPH BY AKG/ALBUM

The 16th century pirate who terrorized the Mediterranean

No Spanish ships or ports were safe when dread pirate Barbarossa, ally of the powerful Ottoman Empire, sailed the high seas. But he wasn't just a soldier of fortune: He was a skilled warrior with sharp political instincts.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANNE FARRAR

The odd history of the Osage orange tree

They're not even related to oranges and, even more confusingly, they're commonly referred to as hedge apples. But that's nowhere near the strangest part of their story.

A STRANGE BACKSTORY

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLES MARVILLE, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

A legendary river is buried under Paris. Can it be resurrected?

The Bièvre flowed through Victor Hugo's Paris. Conservation efforts are bringing parts of the historic waterway back.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ESTHER HORVATH

Under the spell of the ice and cold on an Arctic expedition

During weeks on a research vessel drifting with an ice floe in the polar night, a photographer discovers profound beauty—and her own limitations.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENT STIRTON

The life and death of a beloved mountain gorilla

Nat Geo photographer Brent Stirton first met Ndakasi in 2007, at Virunga National Park. Here, in words and photos, he recounts her remarkable life.

SEE PHOTOS OF HER LIFE

QUOTE

Mountain gorillas are sensitive, surprisingly fragile, gentle creatures. They have personalities, idiosyncrasies. They can be joyful, and they can be sad. Just like humans.

Brent Stirton, photographer

From: The life and death of a beloved mountain gorilla

PHOTOGRAPH BY VOLKMAR K. WENTZEL, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

The 'revolution' that changed humanity forever

The Neolithic Revolution marked the shift to agriculture from hunting and gathering—and paved the way for modern civilization.

MORE GREAT READS

The dark history of Hawai‘i’s iconic hand gesture (Atlas Obscura) ››

Wordle is a love story (New York Times) ››

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